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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26685604">in the pale moonlight</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingthorns/pseuds/fallingthorns'>fallingthorns</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>feel it in the air [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT (Movies - Muschietti)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Domestic Fluff, Eddie moves in, Established Relationship, Exes to Lovers, M/M, Married Life, exes to husbands, richie has three cats</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 03:41:41</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,563</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26685604</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fallingthorns/pseuds/fallingthorns</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>His ex-husband is now his current-husband who Richie hasn't seen in two months. But now, Eddie is officially moving into Richie's house. His stuff has slowly been trickling in for the past month or so, boxes upon boxes showing up on Richie's doorstep every day, each labeled clearly so Richie would know what was inside of it. He's spent his free time pining for Eddie and unloading the boxes, mixing their plates and mugs so that they now have a collection of their two lives, a silent acknowledgement to the time they spent apart and the love they now share again.</p><p>"Bonk, I am going to need you to behave yourself," Richie tells the oldest of his three cats. "He's going to be living with us and I would really like for you not to scare him away."<br/>--<br/>Or, Eddie moves back in and meets Richie's cats.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>feel it in the air [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1941880</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>228</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>in the pale moonlight</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">

        <li>
          Translation into Русский available: 
            <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29679309">В слабом лунном свете (in the pale moonlight)</a> by <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fil_l/pseuds/Fil_l">Fil_l</a>
        </li>


    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is just a brief little sequel to <a href="feel%20it%20in%20the%20air">feel it in the air</a>, aka the fic where Richie and Eddie are ex-husbands who reunite in Hawaii. I recommend reading that first, but all you really need to know is they were divorced for 5 years and got back together and that Richie has three cats -- Bonk, Bernie, and Newt.</p><p>This is for my dear friend <a href="https://twitter.com/ROSSCHlE">Levi's</a> birthday!! Happy Birthday, Levi, I hope you enjoy this little coda!!!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>So, Richie's life is completely different now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It's been two months since he returned to California from Hawaii. Eddie went back to England with a kiss and a pat on the butt and a promise to call Richie every single day. Eddie's hand cupped his cheek as he kissed him long and slow, and Richie could feel the cool metal of his wedding ring against his cheek as Eddie kept his face close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His ex-husband is now his current-husband who he hasn't seen in two months. Eddie had to finish up his time at the England branch, close on his flat, and tie up any other loose-ends that presented themselves along the way.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now, two months later, Eddie is officially moving into Richie's house. His stuff has slowly been trickling in for the past month or so, boxes upon boxes showing up on Richie's doorstep every day, each labeled clearly so Richie would know what was inside of it. He's spent his free time pining for Eddie and unloading the boxes, mixing their plates and mugs so that they now have a collection of their two lives, a silent acknowledgement to the time they spent apart and the love they now share again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie checks his phone and smiles when he sees a text from Eddie, letting him know that he landed and is now in the Uber on his way to the house. He spins his ring on his finger and tries to ignore how his heart is pounding in his chest. Eddie hasn't been here in over five years. It's changed, slowly morphing into a bachelor pad instead of a house for a married couple. Richie put some of their pictures away over the years, replacing them with pictures of him and Stan and Patty and, more recently, him and Bev. But now, Richie glances around and sees pictures of him and Eddie from their trip. He smiles at the picture on his bedside table. It's the two of them grinning at each other as they hold hands in matching Hawaiian shirts, Richie's ring on his finger glinting in the sunlight. Richie can almost hear the courtroom judge declaring them husbands, and he can feel Richie smiling into the kiss as he leans down and presses their mouths together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was short and quick, but they had already done the big wedding once. There was no need for another one when all they wanted was each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bonk, I am going to need you to behave yourself," Richie tells the oldest of his three cats. "He's going to be living with us and I would really like for you not to scare him away."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bonk stares at him before stretching and moseying over to the coffee table. He pauses to stare Richie in the eye before reaching up and sending the coaster down onto the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"God damn fucking cat," Richie mumbles to himself, picking the coaster up and groaning as Newt and Bernie come out from under the couch and attach themselves to Richie's legs. "Fucking gremlins."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie's phone buzzes in his pocket as Newt begins to climb up his leg. He tries to shake the cat off as he answers the phone, grinning as Eddie yells his greeting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Spagheds, I can hear you just fine," Richie says once Eddie has quieted down. "You almost here?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Just pulled up. Getting my bags out of the trunk now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie runs to the window, cats still attached to his legs, and grins when he sees Eddie lugging four suitcases to the front door. He sprints to the door and flings it open, holding it open as Eddie comes into the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Richie says, voice softer than he was anticipating. He can feel Newt climbing up his shirt now, but he can't bring himself to look away from Eddie to see what the hell his fucking cat is doing. "Welcome home."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie drops his bags and lets out a sigh. He flexes his fingers to stretch them out and Richie watches as the muscles of his forearm shift. "Hey," Eddie says, glancing up at Richie with a soft smile. "Missed you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie kisses him, and it feels like coming home even though he's already standing in the doorway of his home. Newt lets out a pathetic screech from where he's still attached to Richie's shirt, startling Eddie and causing him to pull away with a laugh.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is Newt," Richie says, eyeing the cat carefully to make sure he's not about to attack Eddie. "He's my clingy child."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He gets it from you," Eddie says, reaching out to gently stroke a finger along the top of Newt's head. "My clingy husband."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh." Richie smiles softly at him as Newt begins to purr under Eddie's touch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think he likes me," Eddie says, taking Newt from Richie's arms and cradling him to his chest. Richie, as much as he's glad Eddie is getting along with 33.33% of his cats, really wishes he would set the cat down and kiss him again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"He's the easy one," Richie says, raising an eyebrow as Bernie peeks his head out from around the corner and judges them. "It's his brother you have to watch out for. And then Bonk is just a little shit, so don't leave any valuables on any elevated surface."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie laughs and sets Newt down, watching as he stretches before wandering off to tackle Bernie to the ground. "Your kids are cute," Eddie tells him, smiling and wrapping his arms around Richie again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie hums and presses his face into Eddie's hair. He smells like shampoo and his cologne and just a hint of airport sweat. He smells like the past five years of their lives that they've missed and the coming decades of years that they're going to spend together. He takes another sniff, knowing that he can only do this for so much longer before Eddie yells at him --</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Stop sniffing me, you fucking vampire," Eddie mumbles into his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie laughs softly and presses a kiss to the top of Eddie's head. He tips his chin up with one hand and smiles down at him. "Trust me, Eds," he murmurs, brushing his lips against Eddie's as Eddie sighs against his mouth. He slides his arm around Eddie's waist, tugging him closer until their fronts are flush against one another and Eddie is trying to chase after his mouth. "Your blood isn't what I want to be sucking right now."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie whines and crushes their mouths together, and Richie thinks that Bonk's introduction will have to wait until later.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>They wake up with a start as a crash sounds throughout the house.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Richie," Eddie deadpans, squeezing Richie's thigh in a death-grip as he looks at him with wide eyes. "What the fuck was that?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They're naked and tangled under the blankets, their legs twined together enough so that Richie actively struggles to roll to the side to grab his glasses off the nightstand. He feels groggy and a little dick-drunk, full of love for his husband with a hint of confusion over why they were woken up at three in the morning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rolls out of bed and finds the nearest pair of sweatpants, pulling them on and stretching his arms over his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Richie," Eddie hisses again. "You can't go out there."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Uh, why?" Richie squints at him in the dark, just making out Eddie's furrowed brow as he looks at him from the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because you are, one, shirtless," Eddie says, counting his points with his fingers. "Two, it's the middle of the night and you heard a fucking noise in your house, it could be a burglar or a serial killer, or --"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Eds, I am 99.9% sure it's just Bonk knocking something off of a table," Richie says with a sigh, opening the door and peering out. "This is a fairly regular occurrence."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Wait, if that cat damaged my fucking Yeti, I swear to fuck, Richie . . ." Richie glances back over at the bed and lets out a startled laugh when he sees Eddie rolling out of bed, throwing on a pair of boxers before stomping out of the room. "If there's so much as a dent in my Yeti you are so buying me a fucking new one, I swear to fucking god."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie trails after Eddie, smiling as he easily finds the kitchen, his muscle memory from having lived in this house five years ago kicking in easily as he navigates the hallways in the darkness. It feels like no time has passed at all, now that Eddie is here and loving him again, now that Richie isn't constantly thinking about his life without Eddie.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"GOD DAMN FUCKING CAT," Eddie hollers as he bends down and picks his Yeti up off the ground. Richie watches as he bends over, appreciating the roundness of his ass as Eddie’s muscles flex to lower himself to the ground. He abruptly stands back up and sets the Yeti down onto the table, groaning as it wobbles to the left before settling, remaining upright but very obviously dented and crooked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I did warn you," Richie says, looking around for Bonk and seeing his eyes glowing in the corner of the kitchen. "Why do you think I gave him his name?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"My fucking Yeti," Eddie mumbles, running a hand through his hair. Richie watches as his bicep flexes, his eyes trailing down Eddie's chest and back up to his arm. It really isn't fair that Eddie gets to look like that all the time, like he was made for Richie and Richie's bed only. He really doesn't know how he spent the last five years without him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll buy you three new ones tomorrow, babe," Richie says with a sigh, going up behind Eddie and wrapping his arms around him. He presses a kiss to Eddie's bare shoulder, rubbing his hands along Eddie's chest until he sags against him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>". . . Can I pick multiple sizes?" Eddie asks as he lets out a small sigh. Richie traces his lips up the side of Eddie's neck, smiling as Eddie tips his head to the side to give him more room. His hands wander lower until they're sliding below his waistband, and Richie forgets that it's three in the morning and that they should be sleeping. Eddie doesn't start working at the new branch until next week, and Richie took the whole week off so that he could help Eddie get situated and so that he could spend time with Eddie. Really, it's the least that he could do. Purely unselfish of him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course," Richie murmurs as he sucks gently at the junction between Eddie's neck and shoulder. "Big one for water, medium one for coffee?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mm," Eddie moans softly as Richie runs his tongue over the small spot he just worked into his neck. "Fuck, Richie."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You like it when I talk Yeti, baby?" Richie huffs out a laugh. "I didn't take you for a furry."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie springs out of his arms with a flurry of yelling and waving arms and expletives before tackling Richie against the wall and kissing him until Richie is moaning and chanting his name.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The next time Richie wakes up, it's ten in the morning and Eddie is snoring softly next to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They are, again, naked and tangled under the blankets. Richie disentangles himself and throws on the same pair of sweatpants before heading out to the kitchen. He has a husband again and he really just wants to cook him some strawberry banana pancakes and give him a nice breakfast in bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He's flipping the pancakes on the griddle while softly humming to himself when he hears a faint mumbling coming from the bedroom. He pauses his humming and strains to listen, frowning when he hears the faint sound of Eddie's voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>". . . Now listen, if we're going to be cohabitating, I need you to not damage my shit," Richie hears him say. There's a pause and Eddie says something else Richie can't make out. Richie shakes his head and flips the pancakes, wondering why Eddie is talking to himself or if he thinks Richie is still in bed, but then he hears a sharp "meow" followed by a hiss that is unmistakably Bonk.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie groans and flips the pancakes onto a plate, turning the griddle off before all but sprinting into the bedroom. He trusts Bonk, for the most part, but he knows how he can get if he doesn't like someone, and the last thing he needs is Eddie getting a scratch from one of his cats the second day he's back in the house, for fuck's sake, Eddie would </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> shut up about the infection risk . . .</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He skids to a stop and blinks at the sight in front of him. Eddie is seated cross-legged on the bed, sheet draped over his presumably still-naked lap, and Bonk is cradled in his arms like an infant. One of his paws is resting gently on Eddie's chest and Richie can hear his soft string of purrs as Eddie gently rocks him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We worked it out," Eddie says when he sees Richie. "I gave him a stern talking to and he screeched at me, and then I just pet him once and he crawled into my lap. And here we are."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie smiles at them and shakes his head. Bonk doesn't usually let anybody hold or corral him, preferring to knock things over and cause general chaos everywhere he goes. He has an affinity for bearing his teeth if you come within a foot of him, and he usually only allows pets when it's on his terms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So the fact that he is letting Eddie hold and rock him like a baby is shocking to Richie, and damn if it isn't melting Richie's heart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I swear to fuck, if my cats end up liking you more than me, I'm going to be so fucking mad," Richie says with a huff, crossing his arms as he squints at Bernie and Newt climbing up onto the bed. Bernie rests his head on Eddie's knee and Newt jumps up onto Eddie's shoulders, small enough to curl up on one of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddie shrugs and grins at him. "Sorry that your cats have taste," he says as he continues to rock Bonk. "And I'm sorry they've been stuck with only you the past five years."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie smiles softly at him then, feeling himself fall even more in love as Eddie looks up at him. He knows what Eddie means, he knows that under those words, Eddie means </span>
  <em>
    <span>I'm sorry I wasn't here, I'm sorry I left, I'm sorry things happened the way that they did.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He knows they've both apologized more than they needed to, more than was even warranted. But they worked it out and now they're here.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Richie goes to the bed and climbs back in, shifting Bernie to Eddie's other side so that he can slot himself next to Eddie. He presses a kiss to Eddie's bare shoulder, raising an eyebrow at Newt when he looks at Richie with a hint of judgment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Welcome to the family," Richie murmurs as Eddie presses a kiss to the top of his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thanks," Eddie whispers, the sounds of all three cats purring growing louder around them. "Happy to be here."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! As always, you can find me <a href="https://twitter.com/edskasper">@edskasper</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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